Neil M Dubrovsky
Neil Dubrovsky is a Scientist Emeritus in the USGS Water Resources Mission Area, Earth System Processes Division (ESPD), Water Resources Assessments Branch.
I have been a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey for over 30 years. I spent most of this time focusing on large-scale multidisciplinary water-quality investigations as a manager for the USGS’s National Water Quality Program (see USGS Circular 1350 "Nutrients in the Nation’s Streams and Groundwater, 1992-2004"). Prior to this I conducted studies on trace elements, nutrients, and pesticides in rivers and groundwater in California. I have been fortunate to work on a broad range of topics, including surficial processes (M.A.), the geochemistry of abandoned coal mines (Pennsylvania DEP), the geochemistry of inactive uranium tailing (Ph.D), and nonpoint contaminants from intensive agriculture. I am particularly interested in redox controls on contaminant migration, chemical transport between groundwater and streams, and integration of transport process understanding into large-scale models.
Professional Experience
Professional Studies/Experience
2016 – 2017: Chief, NAWQA Surface Water Assessment.
2012 – 2016: NWQP/NAWQA Western Region Program Officer.
2003 – 2012: Chief, NAWQA Nutrients and Trace Elements National Synthesis team.
1996 – 2002: Program Chief for hydrologic investigations for the Central Valley Program, California WSC, USGS..
1990 – 96: Chief, San Joaquin-Tulare Basins study team of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program.
1986 – 89: Chief, Central Valley RASA Phase II Study, Areal and depth distribution of trace elements in regional aquifers, San Joaquin Valley.
Education and Certifications
Education
Ph.D Hydrogeology 1986 University of Waterloo Ontario Canada
M.A. Geomorphology 1977 SUNY Binghamton NY
B.A. Geology 1974 Tufts University Medford, MA
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 28
Trace-Element Concentrations in Tissues of Aquatic Organisms from Rivers and Streams of the United States, 1992-1999
The U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program collected tissue samples from a variety of aquatic organisms during 1992-1999 within 47 study units across the United States. These tissue samples were collected to determine the occurrence and distribution of 20 major and minor trace elements in aquatic organisms. This report presents the tissue trace-element concentration data,
Authors
Lawrence R. DeWeese, Verlin C. Stephens, Terry M. Short, Neil M. Dubrovsky
Temporal trends in concentrations of DBCP and nitrate in groundwater in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California, USA
Temporal monitoring of the pesticide 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) and nitrate and indicators of mean groundwater age were used to evaluate the transport and fate of agricultural chemicals in groundwater and to predict the long-term effects in the regional aquifer system in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California. Twenty monitoring wells were installed on a transect along an approximate gr
Authors
K.R. Burow, N. M. Dubrovsky, James L. Shelton
Framework for a ground-water quality monitoring and assessment program for California
The State of California uses more ground water than any other State in the Nation. With a population of over 30 million people, an agricultural economy based on intensive irrigation, large urban industrial areas, and naturally elevated concentrations of some trace elements, there is a wide range of contaminant sources that have the potential to contaminate ground water and limit its beneficial use
Authors
Kenneth Belitz, Neil M. Dubrovsky, Karen Burow, Bryant C. Jurgens, Tyler John
Low-Level Volatile Organic Compounds in Active Public Supply Wells as Ground-Water Tracers in the Los Angeles Physiographic Basin, California, 2000
Data were collected to evaluate the use of low-level volatile organic compounds (VOC) to assess the vulnerability of public supply wells in the Los Angeles physiographic basin. Samples of untreated ground water from 178 active public supply wells in the Los Angeles physiographic basin show that VOCs were detected in 61 percent of the ground-water samples; most of these detections were low, with on
Authors
Jennifer L. Shelton, Karen R. Burow, Kenneth Belitz, Neil M. Dubrovsky, Michael Land, JoAnn Gronberg
Chlorofluorocarbon dating of herbicide-containing well waters in Fresno and Tulare counties, California
Simazine, diuron, and bromacil are the most frequently detected currently registered pesticides in California groundwater. These herbicides have been used for several decades in Fresno and Tulare counties, California; however, previous data are inadequate to determine whether the detections are a result of recent or historical applications (i.e., within the last decade, or 20-30 yr ago). Chloroflu
Authors
F. Spurlock, K. Burow, N. Dubrovsky
Pesticide transport in the San Joaquin River Basin
Pesticide occurrence and concentrations were evaluated in the San Joaquin River Basin to determine potential sources and mode of transport. Land use in the basin is mainly agricultural. Spatial variations in pesticide occurrence were evaluated in relation to pesticide application and cropping patterns in three contrasting subbasins and at the mouth of the basin. Temporal variability in pesticide o
Authors
Neil M. Dubrovsky, Charles R. Kratzer, Sandra Y. Panshin, JoAnn M. Gronberg, Kathryn M. Kuivila
Integrating chemical, water quality, habitat, and fish assemblage data from the San Joaquin River drainage, California
No abstract available.
Authors
Larry R. Brown, Charles R. Kratzer, Neil M. Dubrovsky
Evaluation of processes affecting 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) concentrations in ground water in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California: Analysis of chemical data and ground-water flow and transport simulations
Future use of the sole-source aquifer near Fresno in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California, will depend, in part, on how long 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), an agricultural fumigant banned from use since the late 1970's, persists at concentrations greater than the maximum contaminant level of 0.2 micrograms per liter (mg/L). Field data indicate that DBCP concentrations in ground water ha
Authors
Karen R. Burow, Sandra Y. Panshin, Neil H. Dubrovsky, David Vanbrocklin, Graham E. Fogg
Nitrate and pesticides in ground water in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California : occurrence and trends
The occurrence of nitrate and pesticides in ground water in California's eastern San Joaquin Valley may be greatly influenced by the long history of intensive farming and irrigation and the generally permeable sediments. This study, which is part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program, was done to assess the quality of the ground water and to do a preliminary evalu
Authors
Karen R. Burow, Sylvia V. Stork, N. M. Dubrovsky
Water quality in the San Joaquin-Tulare basins, California, 1992-95
This report is intended to summarize major findings that emerged between 1992 and 1995 from the water-quality assessment of the San Joaquin-Tulare Basins Study Unit and to relate these findings to water-quality issues of regional and national concern. The information is primarily intended for those who are involved in water-resource management. Yet, the information contained here may also interest
Authors
Neil M. Dubrovsky, Charles R. Kratzer, Larry R. Brown, JoAnn M. Gronberg, Karen R. Burow
Occurrence and distribution of dissolved pesticides in the San Joaquin River basin, California
The effects of pesticide application, hydrology, and chemical and physical properties on the occurrence of pesticides in surface water in the San Joaquin River Basin, California, were examined. The study of pesticide occurrence in the highly agricultural San Joaquin?Tulare Basins is part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. One hundred forty-three water s
Authors
Sandra Yvonne Panshin, Neil M. Dubrovsky, JoAnn M. Gronberg, Joseph L. Domagalski
Occurrence of nitrate and pesticides in ground water beneath three agricultural land-use settings in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California, 1993-1995
The processes that affect nitrate and pesticide occurrence may be better understood by relating ground-water quality to natural and human factors in the context of distinct, regionally extensive, land- use settings. This study assesses nitrate and pesticide occurrence in ground water beneath three agricultural land-use settings in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California. Water samples were coll
Authors
Karen R. Burow, Jennifer L. Shelton, Neil M. Dubrovsky
Non-USGS Publications**
Domagalski , J.L., Dubrovsky, N.M., and Kratzer, C.R., 1997, Pesticides in the San Joaquin River, California: Inputs from dormant sprayed orchards: Journal of Environmental Quality, v. 26, p. 454-465.
Dubrovsky, N.M., Burow, K.R., and Gronberg, J.M., 1995, Effects of two contrasting agricultural land uses on shallow ground water quality in the San Joaquin Valley, California -- Design and preliminary interpretation, in Wagner, B.J., Illangasekare, T.H., and Jensen, K.H., eds., Models for assessing and monitoring groundwater quality: Wallingford, Oxfordshire, U.K., International Association of Hydrological Sciences, publication 227, proceedings, p. 49-58.
Deverel, S.J., Fio, J.L., Dubrovsky, N.M., 1994, Distribution and mobility of selenium in groundwater in the western San Joaquin Valley of California in Selenium in the Environment, Benson, S. and Frankenburger, W. (eds). Marcel Decker, New York.
White, Arthur, and N. M. Dubrovsky, 1994, Chemical Oxidation-Reduction Controls on Selenium Mobility in Groundwater Systems, in Selenium in the Environment, Chapter: 8, Publisher: Marcel Dekker, INc, Editors: W.T. Frankenberger, Jr, and S.M. Benson (eds, pp.185-222)
Dubrovsky, Neil M., Steven Deveral, and R.J. Gilliom, 1993, Multiscale approach to regional ground-water quality assessment: Selenium in the San Joaquin Valley, California, Editors: William M. Alley, in book: Regional Groundwater Quality, Chapter: 22, Van Nostrand Reinhold, , pp.537-562
Domagalski, J.L., N.M. Dubrovsky, 1991, Pesticide Residues in Ground Water of the San Joaquin Valley, California, Journal of Hydrology, 130 (1-4), p 229-338.
Dubrovsky, N.M., Neil, J.M., Welker, M.C., and Evenson, K.D., 1991, Geochemical relations and distribution of selected trace elements in ground water of the northern part of the western San Joaquin Valley, California: U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 2380.
Dubrovsky, N.M., Neil, J.M., Fujii, R, Oremland, R.S., and Hollibaugh, J.T., 1990, Influence of redox potential on selenium distribution in ground water, Mendota, western San Joaquin Valley, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 90-138, 24p.
Dubrovsky, N.M., and Steven Deverel, 1989, Selenium in Ground Water of the Central Part of the Western Valley, Editors: Robert J. Gilliom, in Preliminary assessment of sources, distribution, and mobility of selenium in the San Joaquin Valley, California, Water-Resources Investigations Report 88-4186, pp.32
Dubrovsky, Neil M., John A. Cherry, E.J. Reardon, A.J. Vivyurka, 1985, Geochemical evolution of inactive pyritic tailings in the Elliot Lake uranium district, Canadian Geotechnical Journal, p 110-1228.
Dubrovsky, N. M.,K.A. Morin, J.A. Cherry, D.J.A. Smyth, 1984, Uranium tailings acidification and subsurface contaminant migration in a sand aquifer. Water Pollution Research Journal of Canada
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
- Data
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- Publications
Filter Total Items: 28
Trace-Element Concentrations in Tissues of Aquatic Organisms from Rivers and Streams of the United States, 1992-1999
The U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program collected tissue samples from a variety of aquatic organisms during 1992-1999 within 47 study units across the United States. These tissue samples were collected to determine the occurrence and distribution of 20 major and minor trace elements in aquatic organisms. This report presents the tissue trace-element concentration data,AuthorsLawrence R. DeWeese, Verlin C. Stephens, Terry M. Short, Neil M. DubrovskyTemporal trends in concentrations of DBCP and nitrate in groundwater in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California, USA
Temporal monitoring of the pesticide 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) and nitrate and indicators of mean groundwater age were used to evaluate the transport and fate of agricultural chemicals in groundwater and to predict the long-term effects in the regional aquifer system in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California. Twenty monitoring wells were installed on a transect along an approximate grAuthorsK.R. Burow, N. M. Dubrovsky, James L. SheltonFramework for a ground-water quality monitoring and assessment program for California
The State of California uses more ground water than any other State in the Nation. With a population of over 30 million people, an agricultural economy based on intensive irrigation, large urban industrial areas, and naturally elevated concentrations of some trace elements, there is a wide range of contaminant sources that have the potential to contaminate ground water and limit its beneficial useAuthorsKenneth Belitz, Neil M. Dubrovsky, Karen Burow, Bryant C. Jurgens, Tyler JohnLow-Level Volatile Organic Compounds in Active Public Supply Wells as Ground-Water Tracers in the Los Angeles Physiographic Basin, California, 2000
Data were collected to evaluate the use of low-level volatile organic compounds (VOC) to assess the vulnerability of public supply wells in the Los Angeles physiographic basin. Samples of untreated ground water from 178 active public supply wells in the Los Angeles physiographic basin show that VOCs were detected in 61 percent of the ground-water samples; most of these detections were low, with onAuthorsJennifer L. Shelton, Karen R. Burow, Kenneth Belitz, Neil M. Dubrovsky, Michael Land, JoAnn GronbergChlorofluorocarbon dating of herbicide-containing well waters in Fresno and Tulare counties, California
Simazine, diuron, and bromacil are the most frequently detected currently registered pesticides in California groundwater. These herbicides have been used for several decades in Fresno and Tulare counties, California; however, previous data are inadequate to determine whether the detections are a result of recent or historical applications (i.e., within the last decade, or 20-30 yr ago). ChlorofluAuthorsF. Spurlock, K. Burow, N. DubrovskyPesticide transport in the San Joaquin River Basin
Pesticide occurrence and concentrations were evaluated in the San Joaquin River Basin to determine potential sources and mode of transport. Land use in the basin is mainly agricultural. Spatial variations in pesticide occurrence were evaluated in relation to pesticide application and cropping patterns in three contrasting subbasins and at the mouth of the basin. Temporal variability in pesticide oAuthorsNeil M. Dubrovsky, Charles R. Kratzer, Sandra Y. Panshin, JoAnn M. Gronberg, Kathryn M. KuivilaIntegrating chemical, water quality, habitat, and fish assemblage data from the San Joaquin River drainage, California
No abstract available.AuthorsLarry R. Brown, Charles R. Kratzer, Neil M. DubrovskyEvaluation of processes affecting 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) concentrations in ground water in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California: Analysis of chemical data and ground-water flow and transport simulations
Future use of the sole-source aquifer near Fresno in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California, will depend, in part, on how long 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP), an agricultural fumigant banned from use since the late 1970's, persists at concentrations greater than the maximum contaminant level of 0.2 micrograms per liter (mg/L). Field data indicate that DBCP concentrations in ground water haAuthorsKaren R. Burow, Sandra Y. Panshin, Neil H. Dubrovsky, David Vanbrocklin, Graham E. FoggNitrate and pesticides in ground water in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California : occurrence and trends
The occurrence of nitrate and pesticides in ground water in California's eastern San Joaquin Valley may be greatly influenced by the long history of intensive farming and irrigation and the generally permeable sediments. This study, which is part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program, was done to assess the quality of the ground water and to do a preliminary evaluAuthorsKaren R. Burow, Sylvia V. Stork, N. M. DubrovskyWater quality in the San Joaquin-Tulare basins, California, 1992-95
This report is intended to summarize major findings that emerged between 1992 and 1995 from the water-quality assessment of the San Joaquin-Tulare Basins Study Unit and to relate these findings to water-quality issues of regional and national concern. The information is primarily intended for those who are involved in water-resource management. Yet, the information contained here may also interestAuthorsNeil M. Dubrovsky, Charles R. Kratzer, Larry R. Brown, JoAnn M. Gronberg, Karen R. BurowOccurrence and distribution of dissolved pesticides in the San Joaquin River basin, California
The effects of pesticide application, hydrology, and chemical and physical properties on the occurrence of pesticides in surface water in the San Joaquin River Basin, California, were examined. The study of pesticide occurrence in the highly agricultural San Joaquin?Tulare Basins is part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Program of the U.S. Geological Survey. One hundred forty-three water sAuthorsSandra Yvonne Panshin, Neil M. Dubrovsky, JoAnn M. Gronberg, Joseph L. DomagalskiOccurrence of nitrate and pesticides in ground water beneath three agricultural land-use settings in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California, 1993-1995
The processes that affect nitrate and pesticide occurrence may be better understood by relating ground-water quality to natural and human factors in the context of distinct, regionally extensive, land- use settings. This study assesses nitrate and pesticide occurrence in ground water beneath three agricultural land-use settings in the eastern San Joaquin Valley, California. Water samples were collAuthorsKaren R. Burow, Jennifer L. Shelton, Neil M. DubrovskyNon-USGS Publications**
Domagalski , J.L., Dubrovsky, N.M., and Kratzer, C.R., 1997, Pesticides in the San Joaquin River, California: Inputs from dormant sprayed orchards: Journal of Environmental Quality, v. 26, p. 454-465.
Dubrovsky, N.M., Burow, K.R., and Gronberg, J.M., 1995, Effects of two contrasting agricultural land uses on shallow ground water quality in the San Joaquin Valley, California -- Design and preliminary interpretation, in Wagner, B.J., Illangasekare, T.H., and Jensen, K.H., eds., Models for assessing and monitoring groundwater quality: Wallingford, Oxfordshire, U.K., International Association of Hydrological Sciences, publication 227, proceedings, p. 49-58.
Deverel, S.J., Fio, J.L., Dubrovsky, N.M., 1994, Distribution and mobility of selenium in groundwater in the western San Joaquin Valley of California in Selenium in the Environment, Benson, S. and Frankenburger, W. (eds). Marcel Decker, New York.White, Arthur, and N. M. Dubrovsky, 1994, Chemical Oxidation-Reduction Controls on Selenium Mobility in Groundwater Systems, in Selenium in the Environment, Chapter: 8, Publisher: Marcel Dekker, INc, Editors: W.T. Frankenberger, Jr, and S.M. Benson (eds, pp.185-222)Dubrovsky, Neil M., Steven Deveral, and R.J. Gilliom, 1993, Multiscale approach to regional ground-water quality assessment: Selenium in the San Joaquin Valley, California, Editors: William M. Alley, in book: Regional Groundwater Quality, Chapter: 22, Van Nostrand Reinhold, , pp.537-562Domagalski, J.L., N.M. Dubrovsky, 1991, Pesticide Residues in Ground Water of the San Joaquin Valley, California, Journal of Hydrology, 130 (1-4), p 229-338.Dubrovsky, N.M., Neil, J.M., Welker, M.C., and Evenson, K.D., 1991, Geochemical relations and distribution of selected trace elements in ground water of the northern part of the western San Joaquin Valley, California: U.S. Geological Survey Water Supply Paper 2380.
Dubrovsky, N.M., Neil, J.M., Fujii, R, Oremland, R.S., and Hollibaugh, J.T., 1990, Influence of redox potential on selenium distribution in ground water, Mendota, western San Joaquin Valley, California: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 90-138, 24p.
Dubrovsky, N.M., and Steven Deverel, 1989, Selenium in Ground Water of the Central Part of the Western Valley, Editors: Robert J. Gilliom, in Preliminary assessment of sources, distribution, and mobility of selenium in the San Joaquin Valley, California, Water-Resources Investigations Report 88-4186, pp.32
Dubrovsky, Neil M., John A. Cherry, E.J. Reardon, A.J. Vivyurka, 1985, Geochemical evolution of inactive pyritic tailings in the Elliot Lake uranium district, Canadian Geotechnical Journal, p 110-1228.
Dubrovsky, N. M.,K.A. Morin, J.A. Cherry, D.J.A. Smyth, 1984, Uranium tailings acidification and subsurface contaminant migration in a sand aquifer. Water Pollution Research Journal of Canada
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.